Field devices serving to capture and/or modify process variables are frequently used in process automation technology. Field devices, in general, refer to all devices which are process-oriented and which provide or edit process-relevant information. In addition to sensors and actuators, units directly connected to a fieldbus are also generally referred to as field devices and serve for communication with higher-level units, such as, for instance, remote I/Os, gateways, linking devices, and wireless adapters.
The Endress+Hauser Group offers and distributes a large variety of such field devices.
Within industry as well, forgoing wired data transmission to connect a field device has the potential of reducing the cost of cabling, improving serviceability, and thereby generating benefit for the user. In industrial applications, information security is generally considered more important than in classical consumer applications. One reason that wireless solutions are not yet universally accepted within industry is because there are ongoing reservations arising from insufficient data security.
Wireless solutions are already available for many consumer applications. One example is wireless solutions based upon one of the standards from the Bluetooth family. With regard to measuring technology applications in the consumer area, the prior art offers solutions such as the wireless transfer of an athlete's heart rate or the number of steps to a mobile display/control unit, e.g., to a mobile phone with an integrated Bluetooth interface.
Encryption is usually executed via a so-called “pairing process,” during which a secret key is exchanged between the two communication partners. Due to the limitations of the remote stations, this key exchange usually occurs only on the basis of an authentication using a key code of only 4 digits. These 4 digits frequently are set to an (unalterable) standard value, e.g., 0000, especially for measuring devices without a display, such that security is further reduced. This type of authentication optimizes operating convenience for the consumer client at the expense of security. Such minimal security is not sufficient for the security levels required for industrial plants.
For the user, it is convenient and easy to address and configure or parameterize the respective field device with a computer. For example, the advantages of an infrastructure with high computing power together with ease of operation by a mouse, keyboard, and screen can be exploited to configure corresponding field devices, even in the field, before actual use. Local parameterization with a mobile computer is also a conventional method.
Frequently, not just in the latter case, but also with stationary computers, security is not ensured. The operating system may be outdated, and an antivirus scanner may not be installed or up-to-date. Furthermore, the memory, such as the hard disk, does not offer sufficient protection against readout in the case of theft. Accordingly, the computer cannot perform secure encryption operations, e.g., because there may be a Trojan or a viral attack on the memory, such as the RAM.
Many computers are flexible in terms of potential peripheral devices. However, any existing wireless interface, such as a Bluetooth interface, is not optimized for industrial applications, e.g., with regard to the power budget on the part of the field device.
As a consequence, a computer is unable to fulfill the special requirements for security and for a wireless interface and is, therefore, unsuitable for industrial applications.